B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake said B.C. should be seen as a trustworthy steward of the environment even though the province approved a mining project near Williams Lake that was subsequently rejected by Ottawa in a "scathing" 2010 report on Taseko Mines Ltd.'s Prosperity copper-gold project.Submitted
/ Vancouver Sun

Related

OTTAWA --- The bid by a Vancouver company to eliminate consideration of native spirituality and even prohibit aboriginal children's plays at a federal environmental review hearing is "completely outrageous" and runs counter to the direction of many major companies seeking to work with First Nations, Assembly of First Nations Shawn Atleo said Tuesday.

Atleo was commenting on the disclosure of a letter sent by Taseko Mines Ltd. to Environment Minister Peter Kent in November that called for measures to eliminate a possible pro-aboriginal bias in a pending review of the company's gold-copper mine in the B.C. interior.

"The actions of the company are completely outrageous," said Atleo, who made reference to his speech earlier Tuesday at a Calgary event hosted by the Canadian Council of Chief executives.

"I know increasingly companies are 'getting' the need to recognize and respect First Nations rights and title, so this isn't the way forward."

Atleo said he supports the position of First Nations leaders in the Williams Lake area who voiced outrage Monday over the letter that was made public by independent MLA Bob Simpson.

"Those notions go against the work to create and build trust, to develop respect and respectful relationships," Atleo said in an interview.

He said the company's objection to a children's play in a previous federal panel review, which led to Ottawa rejecting the mine application in 2010, was particularly troubling.

"It's their future that's at stake here."

Atleo said the spiritual connection to land and culture can't be separated, and he said rituals such as drumming and prayers before hearings should be a natural part of the process.

"This is how our people transmit our culture, through language, though prayer, through songs, through ceremony, between generations."

Vancouver-based Taseko failed in its 2010 bid to get federal approval after a "scathing" federal review that made repeated references to the spiritual importance of the land around the mine site and especially Fish Lake, which the company wanted to turn into a tailings dump.

Taseko President Russell Hallbauer's letter in November asked Kent to not permit aboriginal prayer ceremonies at the hearings, and he also said children's plays should also be banned.

The previous panel allowed "a group of kindergarten children to present a play, in which the children wore fish cut-outs on their heads, moved around the floor, and then all fell over simultaneously, symbolizing the death of the fish," Hallbauer wrote.

Allowing opening prayers wasn't "appropriate" and a "sensational" anti-project film and the children's play also shouldn't be part of a process that is supposed to be "objective and fact-based."

And the new panel, which has yet to be named, "does not have any right to attribute significance to the spirituality of a place per se.".

The company also complained that one of the three panel members, metallurgist and former environmental mining supervisor Nalaine Morin, was a member of a First Nations organization in the area that was opposed to the project.

Brian Battison, Taseko's vice president of corporate affairs, argued Monday that spirituality isn't part of federal environmental review legislation and shouldn't be considered.

He said the company is objecting to children's plays, films and prayers because such events bring too much emotion into the hearings.

"The whole process moves so far beyond the true facts that it makes it very, very difficult for everybody I think, including the panel, to not try to consciously or unconsciously reflect all of that in their findings," Battison said.

"And what happens is the science and the facts get lost, and if they don't get lost they get overwhelmed by these circumstances."

A spokesman for Kent said Monday the letter would not change the terms of reference for the new panel, which hasn't yet been named.

poneil@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/poneilinottawa

Read his blog, Letter from Ottawa, at vancouversun.com/oneil

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Video

Business Videos

Best of Postmedia

Swoop has yet to pick up a single customer, but Canada’s newest ultra-low-cost carrier is already talking about expanding into a market that is just taking off. Launched by WestJet Airlines Ltd., Calgary-based Swoop started booking customers this month for flights that begin this summer connecting five Canadian cities. It is offering discounted fares on […]

Director Ryan Coogler admits he was surprised by the initial feedback he got from the bigwigs at Marvel Studios when he began sharing his vision for its next franchise, Black Panther. After all, he was set to make a $200-million epic blockbuster; a popcorn movie that mixed dazzling special effects, heart-stopping action sequences and sprawling […]

At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Mary Ormsby of the Toronto Star took one look at the fit, spandex-laden forms of the cross-country skiers and declared: “I have found my new sport.” Ormsby wasn’t a typical out-of-shape scribe. She had been an all-American volleyball player at Ohio State, so knew athletics from both sides. […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.